Our Latest News

The time has almost finally arrived! The reopening of Performance Horse & Rider will be happening soon, and will be happening at Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean in October 2014. We will be open to the public on October 7th, and stay tuned for announcements regarding our grand opening during the Team Millar Clinic October 25th & 26th.

I've pared down our product selection to offer the best of every price range for the serious equestrian. And I'm especially pleased to be offering now an even wider selection of Antarès tack and equipment and look forward to working closely with David Marion of Antarès Sellier Canada to provide exceptional customer service for saddle fittings, sales, and after care.

I'll also continue to work with Get My Fix and now Horse Collaborative to broadcast my thoughts on the latest equestrian trends. These can go either way really, I mean I think I'm pretty amusing...

This is an exciting new time for Performance Horse and we'd love to have you along for the ride as we grow at the park!

We're moving, getting the heck out of Kemptville and moving to greener pastures. At this very moment I can't give you a location but I CAN tell you we will be A LOT closer to Ottawa. And as with any move, I want to move as little as possible! This is where you come in. If you would come buy stuff, I would be so very happy, and I will reward you for helping me. If your before tax purchase is over $100 (including sale items and prepaid items for order) then I will give you a $10 gift card, if it's over $200, then you get a $25 gift card and if you spend over $350 you get a $50 gift card! That's an over 14% return on investment, you can't get that in the stock market, I tell you what. It's one week only, September 17-22, 2013 so make sure to hurry in early to get the best deals!

I have waited an embarrassing amount of time to write a blog post with this title. It's clever, it's a Bond reference, it's actually a legitimate play-on-words, it's a perfect title. And being so perfect I'm sure it's been used in this context before, but let me say it here first, I, Heather Struthers, have never seen it used in this context specifically, so I'm not intentionally plagiarizing. And if I learned anything in University it's that it's all about intent, and big, sad, innocent, doe eyes with lots of fluttering, and maybe some tears.

Why is this title so fitting, you ask? Why because I just spent a wonderful, and busy, weekend in King of Prussia (get it? Prussia! Like Russia, with a "p"!) for the Spring AETA. This is where I go to buy all the pretty things that I'm going to sell in the spring. And also where you go to see all the trends for the coming year. And ALSO, I get to try on lots, and lots, and lots of show jackets.

Let's talk trends. Colour is back, or at least we're all trying to push colour on you again (because so help me if I have to sell another black jacket...). I saw a few companies with burgundy show jackets, I'm thinking this might have little more traction then the rust-breech fiasco of 2012. Cardigans are a big thing again, and always a good look at the bar (amirite, Kelley Robinson?!). Staying cool is a BIGGER thing. Every company and their brother has a version of the Equi In Style ICEFIL shirt. Like, A LOT of companies, so that trend seems like it won't be going anywhere. Crystals are on there way out, studs are on their way in.

What colours was I seeing a lot of in attire other than competition jackets? Buttery yellows, deep reds, forest greens, and taupes. Gersemi does a really nice job utilizing the colour trends, and they even made a little slideshow for the fashion-trend impaired, surely not directed at me (*looks down, clears throat*), to show where these colours are coming from.

Finally, the company I came out being most impressed with? Hands down, Horseware Ireland. Their line of affordable competition apparel is phenomenal. Tie that in with the always gorgeous Alessandro Albanese line and you've got something for any budget. That's just the clothing side, then you have their blankets. They've got two HUGE programs I'm really excited about, both of which I'll be making Facebook posts about shortly, so make sure you keep an eye out for those.

So that's it. That's the post with the greatest title I will ever come up with. Until next year when I put a little "2014 edition" behind it and pretend like it's still just as clever.

For whatever reason, June has become a bit of a dead month for me and the mobile unit in Ontario and Quebec. There aren't any shows enticing enough to draw me out of the air-conditioned comfort of the store. And if I'm going to go out, I'm going to go somewhere BIG, like SPRUCE MEADOWS. So I did.

I was lucky enough to visit Spruce during Nations Cup week, and before the devastating flooding. I was also lucky enough to hang out at my favourite tack shop in Calgary, Equi-Products. A long time admirer of Equi-Products's ability to operate on the cutting-edge of the industry, I spent a few days with them and realized something. For being in the same country, Eastern Canada is WAY behind in equestrian apparel compared to west. Like, it's embarrassing. There are some amazing brands out there, that have been selling for years, and we haven't even heard of them! So with that in mind, I'm entering into an exciting next stage in my retail-life, I'm getting a sister! Performance Horse & Rider and Equi-Products are going to be working together to help expose the East to some of the more fashion forward, more technological advanced, and frankly in many cases, better products on the equestrian market. If you don't know them, visit www.equi-products.com to see their fantastic selection, and don't forget to like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/equiproducts for their most recent updates. And then stay tuned on my Facebook page, and come see me in the store or at the shows to see some of what the West has to offer!

If you're reading this then I was able to figure out how to launch the new Performance Horse & Rider website, so that seems like a pretty good start to June, no? Since I already do frequent updates with the Facebook and Twitter accounts, I'm going to use the Our Latest News section for my musings on the upcoming products, and events of Performance Horse & Rider. I've got a lot of interesting projects on deck, and I cannot wait to tell you about them! So, welcome to the new website, I hope you enjoy the ride.

Quality Equestrian Products & Apparel | Performance Horse & Rider

At Performance Horse & Rider we aim to provide you with personal, professional, and exceptional customer service though our flagship store located in Nepean, Ontario servicing Ottawa, Richmond, Carleton, and at the top horse shows throughout Ontario and Quebec.